EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
USING ALPHAROUTE IN RURAL NORTHERN ONTARIO COMMUNITIES NOT
SERVED BY LITERACY AND BASIC SKILLS (LBS) DELIVERY AGENCIES
In
conjunction with Centre AlphaPlus Centre and Literacy and
Basic Skills (LBS) agencies in Hearst and Schreiber, Contact
North/Contact Nord was the lead partner in a unique
Literacy and Basic Skills/AlphaRoute project. The Literacy
and Basic Skills Program of Ontario’s Ministry of Training,
Colleges and Universities and the National Literacy Secretariat of
Human Resources Development Canada funded the project.
The
objective was to make available the opportunity for literacy
training to adults who do not live in a community with established
LBS delivery agencies. A secondary objective was to provide a
research report detailing this effort. The project investigated
whether and how the Literacy and Basic Skills program could be
successfully and cost-effectively delivered through AlphaRoute to
communities not within reach of a literacy delivery agency.
The
project established that AlphaRoute’s highly interactive,
mediated online learning approach
makes
it possible for learners to make progress in their literacy
learning when delivered through a distance delivery model. The
project also reported important results in determining the
appropriate types and levels of human and technical supports
needed to make this learning approach effective.
Geographical
distance was successfully bridged by technical and human support
systems coordinated through Contact North/Contact Nord in
Sudbury and two of its Distance Education & Training Access
Centres. The result was clear evidence that learners are able to
demonstrate literacy progress in this distributed distance
delivery model. The participating LBS agencies and Contact North/Contact
Nord Centres itemized both the opportunities and challenges of
distance implementation. Among the main opportunities that arose
from the project was the sheer value of bringing literacy to a
community that would not otherwise have access. There were
spillover effects to the four communities. The project stimulated
networking, literacy dialogue and an expressed interest in
continued participation among the learners, LBS agencies and
Contact North/Contact Nord. Nine recommendations are
provided based upon the lessons learned and future implementation
of distributed, distanced models of literacy learning.
To
request a copy of the pdf file of the report Using AlphaRoute
in Rural Northern Ontario Communities Not Served by Literacy and
Basic Skills (LBS) Delivery Agencies Final Report (December,
2001), go to Publications and
follow the procedures. You may also contact us at the addresses
below.
Other
links of interest
Centre
AlphaPlus Centre
Ministry
of Training, Colleges and Universities Literacy
National
Literacy Secretariat
Contact
us at 1-800-561-2222
Northeast
Regional Coordinating Centre
410 Falconbridge Road, Unit 1
Sudbury, Ontario P3A 4S4
Phone: 705-560-2710
Fax: 705-525-0136
Northwest
Regional Coordinating Centre
1139 Alloy Drive, Suite 104
Thunder Bay, Ontario P7B 6M8
Phone: 807-344-1616
Fax: 807-344-2390
